Medvedev and Khachanov To Face Unseeded Challengers in Halle Quarterfinals

Halle, Germany – Daniil Medvedev and Karen Khachanov, both unseeded Russian tennis players, are set to compete against lower-ranked opponents in the quarterfinals of the Halle Open on Friday.

Medvedev will take on American Alex Michelsen, who recently upset Stefano Tsitsipas in straight sets. Michelsen, 20, demonstrated strong performance on grass courts, suggesting that he may not be as much of an underdog against the 29-year-old Medvedev, who has dropped outside the top ten rankings.

This match marks their first official encounter, as their previous match was cut short due to injury. Although Medvedev has struggled with form, winning no titles in over two years, he has shown some improvement this week with victories over Daniel Altmaier and Quentin Halys.

Michelsen’s confidence is noteworthy, having secured a notable victory against the No. 5 seed Francisco Cerundolo. The key factor in this matchup may be Michelsen’s effective down-the-line backhand aimed at exploiting Medvedev’s forehand weaknesses on grass.

On the other side of the bracket, Khachanov is set to face Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry. Etcheverry recently had a significant win over Andrey Rublev, turning the match around after Rublev failed to close out the game despite having match point. This match went over three hours and ended with a narrow win for Etcheverry.

Khachanov, ranked 22nd in the world, previously defeated Etcheverry earlier this year at the Miami Masters. With Khachanov’s solid grass-court record and recent play, he is favored to advance.

Both men approach these matches with momentum, setting the stage for exciting quarterfinal clashes in Halle.